Images: New Coastal Observatory Is Born

WHOI's new nearshore observatory on Martha's Vineyard, scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2000, will have land-based and sea-based sensors to continuously monitor oceanic and atmospheric conditions. The observations will be combined via underground and submarine cables at a shore station and available instantaneously on the Internet. Illustration by Jayne Doucette.

The combination of the new Martha's Vineyard Observatory, Rutgers University's Longterm Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15), and the US Army Corps of Engineers' Field Research Facility will provide a valuable network of research installations along the East Coast to study coastal processes.

The Martha's Vineyard Observatory will be located on South Beach near the Katama Air Park. (Wade McGillis)

The Martha's Vineyard Observatory?s south-facing beachfront is particularly valuable to scientists because prevailing winds blow directly onshore and in line with the direction of waves. Illustration by Jayne Doucette.